The present invention relates to robotic systems for the assembly of components particularly in the automotive industry and to various components for use in such robotic systems.
It is well-established that when the cost of labour exceeds a minimum threshold or where a high degree of accuracy and quality are required in the final product, the use of robotic assembly systems instead of human labour may be justified. This emphasis on the use of robotics is nowhere more evidient than in the automotive industry.
However, up to the present time the mechanisms available have had limited accuracy, limited versatility and limited capacity.
The normal manner of assembly the various components of an automobile body by robotic means has been to provide a transport mechanism which conveys the automobile along a line, and at various discrete stations, the several components such as doors, are brought and secured to the frame. In these prior mechanisms there has been virtually no accommodation of any misalignment of the vehicle along the axis of transportation. As a consequence the piercing, mounting and securing of components had not been accurate.
The limitation in accuracy has also led to a limitation in the utility of the system because those components which have to be mounted with a greater degree of accuracy have had to be mounted manually.
As mentioned previously, there has been a limitation in the capacity of these prior machines. In this sense by capacity is meant the weight capacity. The upper range of weights of the components which have been carried and manoeuvred by prior robotic arms has been limited because any arm which has the requisite axes of motion has not had the carrying capacity.